


Faces

by FreakCityPrincess



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Dancer!Jyn, F/M, Fake Making-Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, He hates his Imperial identity but it's not easy being two people at once, I Tried, Lapdance, More Torturing Cassian, Trust, consent is important, look I don't know what came over me, minimal plot, written while sleep deprived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 00:10:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17253968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakCityPrincess/pseuds/FreakCityPrincess
Summary: One of the dancers came closer to the edge of the stage. She bent down on her knees in tune to the music. Only Cassian could tell she was looking for someone in the crowd.The man leaned over to speak in his ear again. "That one, that human girl. You fancy her?"





	Faces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shadowkingsoffantasy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowkingsoffantasy/gifts).



> A little year-end gift for you :) Thanks for all the good times and shared geekery!

The room was terribly hot, ratcheted up to a sweltering level that was almost suffocating because of the abundance of sweaty organics. And, Joreth Sward thought wryly, _what a selection_ \- alien species from every corner of the galaxy, humanoids, quadrupeds and amphibious; rhodians, gammoreans, hutts and humans. The gathering was simply overwhelming with character and life.

(In Imperial-run outposts, this kind of variety would be forbidden, illegal and wrong.)

But Sward wasn't here to enjoy the company of others, two hundred of whom he didn't know and didn't expect to get to know, in his short lifetime.

He picked his way through the crowd, draining out the music that was attuned to the hearing frequencies of most species present. Even for those few who couldn't discern it, it wouldn't be a problem- they were all piss drunk anyway, and there wasn't a single person in the room who wasn't passed out or on their feet moving in some intoxicated approximation of a dance.

He eventually emerged somewhere at the front, where the club's paid dancers were, and took the empty seat beside his contact.

Joreth enjoyed these shows, frequented them- even paid willing dancers to come closer to him, take his lap and play with his suit. It looked like tonight would be one of those nights, where he'd fool his contact into thinking they were having a good time here as acquaintances, would be friends by the end of the night, and then he'd needle the man's secrets out of him, one by one, because that was what Sward did. Learn things. Keep them in mind so that when Cassian returned, he had enough intel to present the Alliance.

Today's mark, an older Imperial in his hours after duty. An Imperial could not afford to be spotted in a place such as this- not by virtue of the place being a hive of inebriated beings, but because those beings were non-human.

The mark leaned across the blaring noise to speak directly in his ear.

"Pity we aren't allowed Twi'lek escorts!" He clapped him heavily on the back. "They are truly exotic, easy on the eyes. Do you think I could pay one to fuck around with, Joreth?"

Joreth, himself an Imperial officer, did not care that Twi'leks were relegated to being the sexual fantasies of other Imperial men. All he cared about was entertaining his own fantasies, protecting the secrecy of the other officers and not getting caught by the Empire because there was hell to pay for non-human relations, even if everyone in the ranks did it.

"If you have enough credits that makes you worthwhile, old man," he responded lightly, earning a bark of laughter and another slap on the back.

He took the drink offered to him, shot it down his throat. It burned along its passage.

While the senior Imperial went back to eyeing the petite Twi'leki female who'd caught his attention, Joreth let his eyes scan over the other dancers.

He enjoyed this, he reminded himself. He frequented this place. He paid the dancers for other services. But the sequins and gyrating bodies seemed to taunt him more than call to him.

One of the dancers came closer to the edge of the stage. She bent down on her knees in tune to the music. Only Cassian could tell she was looking for someone in the crowd.

Because he was Cassian, lately. It was difficult to hold on to Joreth when she was in the picture. Because Joreth didn't give a shit about protecting her, and Cassian did.

She eventually spotted him, green eyes lighting up in recognition. She didn't hold his gaze, standing back up, stretching her torso and twisting teasingly to the side, giving the audience a better view of her body before she disappeared back into the throng of dancers. He tracked her from the shimmering green dress she had on, though, if you could call the skimpy two-piece a dress. 

Today it was the green two-piece. Yesterday it had been a violet dress that barely reached the tops of her thighs with a neckline that plunged to her navel. The day before that it was another two-piece, cut like a swimsuit, leaving little to no chance of salvaging modesty.  

He hated himself. Hated that she had to do this, that the Alliance had made her, but he knew she was stronger than he was probably giving her credit for. She'd told him upon receiving the assignment that this role of hers was nothing to the things he'd had to do for the Alliance. It hadn't placated him, but at least he knew that she could handle it. She didn't like it, but she could handle it. And in their line of work, that was always the case, wasn't it?

The man leaned over to speak in his ear again. "That one, that human girl. You fancy her?"

Cassian willed himself not to tense that he'd been noticed, and slipped back into Sward, responding the way the lowlife Imperial would. "Easy on the eyes, like you said. And won't get me in shit."

He sneered, rubbing his shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie. Cassian wished, at the back of his mind, that the man would _stop_ touching him, even if the friendly gestures were borne from drunkenness and by the fact that Joreth was this man's friend. "Tell you what, son. You get me a drink and I'll pay for a lap dance. For you. Good deal, eh?"

Try as he might, he couldn't stay as Joreth. His nerves were on fire and blood was rushing to his head, something like dread curling low in his gut. _Idiot. Idiot._ He had to go and get caught looking Jyn's way, hadn't he?

It would be uncharacteristic of Joreth to refuse. But he could play this. He could still salvage the situation, pass his refusal off as something else.

"Don't have any spare credits on me," Cassian feigned regret. "But it's a good deal- valid on another day, I hope?"

But kriff it all, the drunken Imperial was feeling as generous as the copious amounts of alcohol in his bloodstream, and patted his cheek sympathetically this time.

"Oh, all right. For a friend. You can buy me a drink tomorrow." He looked up, clicking his fingers loudly. Three dancers looked his way, because that was what a guest normally did when they wanted attention- but Jyn was too close to the source of the sound, and unfamiliar with the customs, so she turned their way, as well.

"You, in the green dress," the Imperial called lazily. "My friend here wants something a little extra. Fifty credits."

Cassian met her eyes then, telling her wordlessly that he was sorry, so sorry. Telling her that she had the option of getting herself out of this one. _Raise the price and discourage him. Laugh it off and leave. Tell him you're new and not cleared to do that, yet. Save yourself, please._

Jyn held his gaze for an eternity, brazenly, like she was contemplating her options. But she eventually gave him a small shake of the head, only for him to notice, and turned a brilliant plastered smile on the Imperial. She sauntered down the side of the stage, making a beeline for them.

His breath got caught when Jyn hooked a finger under his chin, and the Imperial snickered, turning the other way like he wanted to give his colleague a shred of privacy.

_Don't do this. You don't have to. You have a choice._

She circled around to the back of his seat, trailing her fingers along his jaw, running them slowly through his hair. Leaned in close to his ear, the one away from the other man, and whispered for only him to hear.

"There are more of them in here. Someone's watching you."

Cassian stilled. Someone was tailing him. He could not afford to get caught. This cover identity was too important, they were too close to getting what they came here for.

She slid on to his lap, sideways, so she had to twist a little to snake her arms around his neck and move her lips along his pulse point. He felt every muscle in his body tense under her weight, but if there was someone watching them, if he was supposed to be _Sward_ , not Cassian, he wouldn't be showing as much restraint as he was currently.

Like she could read his thoughts, Jyn spoke in his ear again.

"It's okay. I trust you, Cassian."

The words brought some relief with them, but it didn't change the fact that they were permission for something she'd otherwise never allow. But he was nothing if not talented at salvaging a situation, and so he made it look like Joreth was taking his time, putting on an only mildly-interested front in the beautiful woman sitting in his lap. 

His hands drifted down to her hips in casual, almost disinterested fashion, a smirk playing at his lips like a man who was enjoying himself but too proud to admit it yet. Because that was Joreth's angle. He was supposed to be Joreth, because Cassian wouldn't dare touch her this way, and would do his utmost not to notice the way her short skirt hiked up her thighs, exposing far too much pale skin than was safe for his composure. 

Jyn shifted then, swiftly lifting herself off of him and circling around to his back, fingers trailing across his shoulders as he went. Briefly ran her hands through his hair. Moved to stand in front of him, mimick the actions of the girls on stage, and it still wasn't safe but at least this way she didn't have to touch him- 

All feelings of relief promptly fled him when she hiked up her skirt again and sat more firmly in his lap, straddling him, a finger hooked under his chin. 

Cassian's grip was back on her hips and tighter than before, this time with more purpose than maintaining a cover. 

_Please don't move. Please don't move._

But Jyn was only back to this because the older Imperial was looking their way now, albeit trying to appear discreet about it, along with probably the others who had their eyes on him. Not that the Imperials actually suspected he was a rebel spy, but it would be damning enough to his cover if they suspected that Joreth was not the man they thought he was. It would cost him contacts. It would ultimately lead to the cover itself being compromised, useless. 

She cupped his face in her hands, and she was trying but this wasn't her forte, and it probably looked clunky and awkward to anyone watching. The dancers weren't supposed to be clunky and awkward. They were supposed to be good at privately entertaining customers who paid extra, but Jyn seemed unsure of what that entailed. 

And of course, her eyes always posed a question when she met his gaze. _Is this okay?_

Each time he responded in the affirmative, but it didn't do much to put her at ease. 

Of course, his stupid disobedient body wasn't helping matters one bit, and he could only hope she didn't notice. It was a frail hope at best. Jyn slid backwards on his knees, and she was definitely borrowing ideas from another dancer across on the other side of the stage engaged in the same service. Stretching her bare torso in a slow, alluring fashion. Cradling his head with a seductive hooded look and grin, to which Joreth responded with a supremely confident smirk, and pulling her body closer to his, the shimmering green top that barely covered anything inches away from his face. 

Joreth had to have more input. He wasn't a passive viewer. A hand slid up her back, settling warm and heavy on the naked skin there, because this stupid top was entirely backless and held together only by thin strings around her upper back and neck. He caught a lock of her hair between her fingers, eyes gleaming in wicked delight. 

"Do you want to take this somewhere private, sweetheart?" 

From Cassian, it was an offer of relief, because they could drop the act as soon as they found a space without an audience. 

"That depends," mused Jyn, in the honeyed voice of her own act. "What do you have to offer?" 

To Joreth, it was a challenge. Cassian realised what she was trying to convey. 

They couldn't just get up and leave, after putting on this barely-passable show. No one would be convinced. If anything, it even put Jyn's own identity at risk, associating her connection with him, and if he got branded a rebel spy, so would she. 

He brushed a thumb over her cheek, drawing her face closer. He didn't want to do this. Not like this. The first time he kissed Jyn- his partner, his friend, the brightest thing in his universe- had to be with her genuine willingness and nothing less. 

But then when had the galaxy ever given him what he wanted? 

It was Jyn who took the initiative and closed the distance between them, her lips catching his with a characteristic boldness and impatience that was her and not the cover, and that little detail was enough to steal the breath from him even before he realised the warm, wet press of her mouth against his. 

Cassian grabbed her face in his hands and turned his head to kiss her back, his pulse thrumming in his veins and his heartbeat loud in his ears. 

Jyn shifted in his lap, pulling back a fraction to suck on his lower lip, and he nearly broke. There was no way she couldn't tell how his body was reacting to this as she shifted again, maybe in dicomfort or maybe to find a better perch, and he had to choke back an involuntary groan, his mouth opening up to hers of its own accord. 

He didn't imagine the hitch in her breath when that happened, when she deepened the kiss in a split-second acceptance of his invitation, and while it brought them closer, impossibly close, he could feel the length of her body press against his and her legs curled around his waist in a way that put all her weight exactly where he wanted it. Or exactly where he didn't. It was getting difficult to think. 

"Let's-" His voice was hoarse, embarrassingly off-tone. "Let's take this somewhere quiet, shall we?" 

Jyn nodded, a little too fast. He ignored the oversight. She had to be just as rattled as he was, if not more, because while he actually wanted this sort of thing with her- albeit in a totally different setting, and not because of the kriffing dress or the dancing or anything Joreth found attractive in a nameless brunette at a cantina- she was definitely uncomfortable being in this position and he was going to have to apologise later, profusely. 

She was never going to look at him the same way again. Hell, she might ask for a reassignment, and then he'd lose everything he had with her, their comfortable partnership, their tendency to have each other's backs, and she wouldn't even regard him a friend anymore and it would be entirely deserved. 

Jyn clambered off his lap, trying to keep it slow and believable, but this proposed plan of his had the downside of- well, she already knew, but it was just infinitely more embarrassing that now he couldn't even try to hide his arousal from her view. He forced his composure into something like Joreth's smug demeanor and smoothed down the wrinkles in his clothes. 

She took his hand under the pretense of leading him- _Joreth_ \- out of the crowded cantina, across the floor that was packed with sweat and sentients of all kinds, and into an empty corridor with more breathing room, up a flight of rickety stairs. 

He tried to physically shake the last remaining shells of the cover identity from his body, like it could expel everything wrong he'd done for the cause, but in spite of all that he had never felt as filthy as he did now. Anybody else he'd wronged, those had either been Imperial personnel or loyalists or contacts whose real names he hadn't even known. This was _Jyn_. 

"I'm sorry," he blurted at once, without finesse. "I'm so sorry, Jyn, and I didn't want to- if I did anything that you're not comfortable with, if you hate me for this I'll understand, but please accept that I really wish I hadn't had to do any of that." 

"Stop," said Jyn, her voice tight. He felt a heavy weight of dread settle low in his gut, because this was it. This was the point she'd tell him to keep his apologies to himself and storm out of his life. 

It was to his bafflement, then, when she grabbed him by the collar instead, crowding him against the elaborately decorated wall. 

"Just to clear things up," she kept her eyes locked on his, _searching._  "I have no problem with sitting in your lap and kissing you until you can't think straight. And I've thought of more. Much more. I want to push you against this wall and find out what it takes to break you, what gets you to make the prettiest noises and what makes you lose every semblance of control." 

Cassian blinked rapidly, confusion mixing with shock and a fresh spark of heat at her words. "What?" he rasped out, pathetically. 

Jyn offered him the smallest of smiles, but this time was a genuine, slight thing that anyone else would've missed. "I want you, Cassian. But it has to be _you_ , not some lowlife Imp that you're pretending to be." 

"What?" 

She rolled her eyes fondly. "For the rebellion's best spy, you can be real slow sometimes." Her smile dropped, her expression taking on a more serious expression as she met his eyes again. "I meant that, Cassian. If you'll have me. And if I'm wrong- if you don't feel that way- then we can pretend this never happened and I won't ask you again. I'm sorry for how abrupt this is, and I'm not great with words, but then that went and happened just now and..." She gave a helpless little shrug. "I figured I needed it out of my system soon." 

He could scarcely believe what he was hearing, but when Jyn took his silence as a negative response and that brightness in her eyes started to fade, and she started to retreat into herself, the urgency of the moment made him snap out of it. 

He caught her hand before she could pull away completely, hoping that his expression conveyed what he couldn't put into words. 

"No, I- I want that too, Jyn." 

 She blinked before her eyes widened. 

"But I want it to be you," he continued before he lost the nerve. "And I don't want you in just that capacity, Jyn. I want too much. It's not a good idea." 

She turned to face him, again, a frown settling between her brows. "You're kidding. How much is _too much?_ "

He dropped her hand, shaking his head. The truth had to come out now or he would never be able to tell her. Somehow, adrenalin and opportunity had put an end to a careful plan- this was a truth he'd been waiting until the right time to disclose. The _right time_ being when exactly he didn't know, but it certainly was never meant to happen like this. 

"I don't want to be a casual lay," said Cassian bluntly, because it was the only feasible approach. "It's selfish of me but I want a real relationship with you. Only you. But that's impossible with the lives we live, and I would never ask you for something you don't want to give." He shrugged, like this was an everyday conversation topic. 

Jyn reached for his hand again, but when she met his eyes this time she had something softer in them, worlds away from the mischievous, half-delirious glint from before. 

"It's not too much," she said, quietly. "That's exactly what I happen to want, too." 

She kissed him, but it was sweet and reverent and everything he had wanted their first kiss to be, and despite the protest that had been on the tip of his tongue- _You don't want that, Jyn, you don't want that kind of thing with me, you know what I am_ \- he couldn't help but sigh and melt into it, his hands moving to lightly rest on her waist with none of the desperation from before. 

Jyn pulled back, snaking her arms around his neck as he touched his forehead to hers. 

"We need to talk about this," he told her. "Later, at length..." 

"And we will," she promised, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "But I still want to pin you to this wall and finish what we started." 

He bit back a laugh. "You're a menace, Jyn Erso." 

She huffed. "For the love of the rebellion, please don't quote Kay at me now."

"Yes, _querida._ " Cassian stole another kiss, unable to help himself. "You can pin me to this wall and do whatever you want." 

He forgot his every pressing fear and concern, pushed thoughts of the rebellion and the unsure future aside, when she responded with a sharp grin and promise lighting her eyes. 

"Dealer's choice, Captain." 

 


End file.
